


Hollow

by vexatious_vehome



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/F, superhero au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-15 12:14:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3446813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vexatious_vehome/pseuds/vexatious_vehome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura Hale is hunting Lydia Martin. Superhuman abilities going up against a superbrain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hollow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [polytropic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/polytropic/gifts).



Laura is leaning against a wall in the back of the lobby. Her eyes move steadily over the crowd. Guests wearing suits and extravagant dresses fill the lobby and the couple celebrating their engagement is greeting new arrivals near her. Allison Argent, high society darling and future head of the famous arms dealing Argent family, and her future wife Erica Reyes,a well-known model and rock singer, chat and smile like they aren't surrounded by armed security guards, who have been ordered to 'shoot first, ask later' for the evening.

Her order tonight is to stay close to the couple and eliminate any threat. Five days ago the Argent family received a notice threatening to abduct their daughter and kill her fiancé if the engagement isn't cancelled. The current head of the family, Victoria Argent, and her husband immediately called upon their connections to various military agencies and specifically asked for Laura to attend – despite the long history of disagreements between the Argents and Hales.

Most people have started moving from the lobby to the grand hall reserved for the celebration. This is a type of situation Laura always avoids if possible. The thick mixture of perfumes nearly make her vomit and her head is spinning from the noise of so many people talking and laughing. At least her sunglasses make the bright lighting bearable. Enhanced senses have their drawbacks and Laura solemnly swears she won't leave her flat in daylight for the next two weeks. The gaggle of guests surrounding the happy couple at all times add to Laura's annoyance.

She would much rather get back to her real case. For month now a shadow has been haunting her. A shadow that has been named 'Hollow'. For more than a year now, no matter what villain showed up, 'Hollow' took them down. And all Laura ever saw was a person, dressed in black with a mask and sunglasses. Even if she gave chase, which she always did, 'Hollow' would run and vanish. With every confrontation the urge to hunt and catch that person became stronger in Laura.

Laura went over every case, investigated every angle and came up with nothing. She tried to find potential suspects, a motivation or even a hint on how 'Hollow' operated. 

Their last encounter had been two month ago. Laura and her group had been send in to close down on human traffickers. The lights were on inside the warehouse that had been identified as a possible hide-out. Laura could clearly hear fighting going on inside and without second though she gave the signal to storm the place. She gave chase as soon as she spotted the black figure darting between crates. Laura trusted that her people could handle whatever was going on.

She followed the figure, jumping through windows and ducking objects flying her way. 'Hollow' ducked into small paths between warehouses, climbed pipes and tried everything to get rid of Laura. But to no avail. Suddenly the figure stopped and turned around. Immediately Laura came to halt as well and warily eyed her prey. She could hear the person's heavy breaths and see their shaking shoulders.

However, 'Hollow' wasn't doing anything besides standing there and staring at her. Slowly Laura approached.

“This is special agent Hale. Put your hands up.” Laura barked out. But the person still just stood there. As she was slowly drawing closer, Laura noticed how short the person was in comparison to herself. 'Hollow' was also definitely of the female sex if the narrow shoulders and broader hips were any indication. She hated to admit that she was surprised. From the get-go she had assumed she was dealing with a man. No normal woman, no matter how well-trained, would have been able to fight some of the guys 'Hollow' had knocked out. Could it be that 'Hollow' also had superhuman abilities like her family and herself?

'Hollow' was now easily within her reach. She would only have to stretch out her arm to touch the person in front of her. She was so close. Yet the person didn't even twitch. All warning bells went off inside Laura. This couldn't possibly be anything but a trap. She took a step back and waited as silently and motionless as her adversary. Laura listened as her opponent's breathing evened out. In the distance she could hear a car. And it was drawing closer.

It couldn't be one of her people. Their cars sounded differently. Heavier. So this was either an uninvolved person or 'Hollow' wasn't working alone. She had to make a decision and fast. After many month of frustration and blows to her professional pride 'Hollow' was finally standing right before her. In a desperate move she lunged forward.

Again this person surprised her. 'Hollow' moved forward as well. Their movement indicated that they would go for Laura's legs. Instinctively Laura bent down and fell right into their trap. Something metallic struck the asphalt and thick smoke enclosed them. The sweet smell of lilacs was directly followed by the burning, unbearable stench of wolfsbane and a second later Laura found herself on the floor retching with stars dancing before her eyes. She was left listening to fleeing footsteps and a motor howling as her whole body convulsed.

She was unsure how long she was lying on the cold asphalt before her body calmed down. Laura growled in frustration. She had been so close. She took a deep breath. Now at least she knew that 'Hollow' was female, around 5ft, possibly had additional powers or at least some useful gadgets, didn't work alone and smelled like lilacs.

Laura slowly exhales and tunes back in. No signs of any kind of threat yet. Laura watches as a young, red-haired woman saunters up to the couple, which immediately drops their conversations to engulf the newcomer in hugs. Laura always has had a thing for redheads and this young woman isn't an exception. Her hair is artfully done up. A golden comb, decorated with colourful gems, glitters between red locks. Her skin is pale. A nice contrast to the dark blue dress she is wearing. The cut is looser and, with a hemline that only reaches her knees, shorter than the dresses Laura has seen so far this evening.

The young woman is petite. Short and slim. Even in heels she only reaches to the shoulders of Argent and Reyes. Laura watches as she exchanges words with other guests surrounding the couple. She holds her back straight while smiling a most charming smile. A confident woman who could easily charm you into doing her biding. She was exactly Laura's type.

She also catches Laura staring. The redhead holds her gaze for a few moments and sends her a small smile before returning to her conversation. Laura hums and scans the crowd for a moment. They are the last ones in the lobby. She hears girlish laughter and returns her attention to the couple. Reyes has an arm wrapped around the redhead's shoulders and they are laughing together.

Laura watches fascinated as the young woman winks at her, excuses and herself and leaves the lobby. She can see Victoria Argent approach the couple. They exchange nods and Laura follows after the young couple as the mother leads them into the celebration hall.

There are the obligatory speeches of parents, the couple and other important guests, but Laura doesn't care for any of it. She spots the redhead sitting at the table reserved for family and close friends. 'Please, don't be an Argent.', Laura mutters to herself.

Laura would love to test the waters with the woman. However, if she was indeed an Argent, the best course of action would be to make herself scarce. Her mother would make her miserable if she brought an Argent home. And Derek and Cora would never let her hear the end of it.

The buffet has been declared open, the couple starts mingling again and Laura makes her way to the bar as the music starts. After all that talk she feels that a drink is in order.

She leans against the bar, lazily tracing the rim of her glass, as she watches the people. Some of the women have to lift their dresses to step over a fallen glass. Good thing she is allowed to wear her uniform. The thought of her walking in heels all day makes her grimace.

“The drink is not to your liking?”

Laura's head jerks around and sees the short redhead sitting on the stool next to her, facing the bar. She is sipping a colourful cocktail, eyeing Laura from under lowered lashes.

“Not really.”, Laura lies and moves the glass aside. She turns towards the woman, propping one arm onto the counter.

“If I'm not mistaken you are sitting with the family, aren't you? I didn't know Miss Argent has a sister.” Laura smiles and hopes she doesn't sound as nervous as she feels.

“Oh, I'm just an old friend.”, answers the woman next to her.

'Yes, yes, yes. Not an Argent! Thank you!' thinks Laura as she smiles and leans a bit further towards the woman next to her. She extends her hand. “Laura Hale.”

“Lydia Martin.” comes the short answer. When Lydia grasps her hand Laura pulls it to her lips, placing a gently kiss upon the pale knuckles. Lydia's smile widens and her eyes twinkle in amusement. 

“Do you dance, Miss Hale?”, Lydia asks her. She is still loosely holding Laura's hand. Their drinks are forgotten.

“Please call me Laura.”, she says as she pulls Lydia from her stool and closer to herself. Lydia fits perfectly under her chin, so Laura bends down to her ear. “And yes, I do.”, she whispers into the redhead's ear. But when she gets a whiff of Lydia's perfume she rears back as if she has been slapped. Lilacs. And Lydia is still holding her hand. Her grip has tightened and her smile has gotten a wicked edge.

“You...” is all Laura can say before all hell breaks loose. The sound of explosions can be heard and the first person starts screaming.

For a moment Laura is torn between her orders and this chance to deal with 'Hollow'. The new explosions sound closer and she leaps into action, jumping over tables and pushing panicking people out of her way. The couple is surrounded by their parents. Both Victoria and Chris Argent have pistols in their hands and, if Laura sees correctly, Allison is holding a gun, too.

Laura is barking orders. She nearly has to scream to be heard over the noise of the frightened guests. She counts seven security guards, none of them her people, make their way towards the couple. Laura sends two of them back to help with evacuating the guests. Together with the rest she ushers the parents and women towards another exit.

She sends two of the remaining guards with Reyes' parents because they are unarmed and Laura wants them out of a possible altercation. Her plan is to guide them through the corridors and into the staircase to their private parking lot. Two of the guards lead the way, followed by the old Argents, the couple, then her and the third guard.

They are hurrying down a corridor as a shot is fired. Wood is bursting and one of the leading guards drops dead. The second turns towards the door and now the Argents start running. Laura is in the middle of shouting out an instruction as the third guard attacks her.

“RUN!”, she bellows as she turns towards her attacker and kicks the gun from his hands. She hears the second shot and the second guard dropping. Her senses and mind are now working in overdrive. Laura grabs the first guy's face and slams his head into the wall. Her nails lengthen to claws and she jumps up the wall. The second attacker is leaving the room as she comes down behind him. Her upper cut knocks his head into the door frame. 

She takes a deep breath and runs after the Argents. Finally Laura reaches them at the staircase. They are huddled in a corner. Victoria Argent is aiming downwards towards the door of the parking lot, where the forms of two shooters can be seen. Her husband is aiming upwards, where Laura can see three attacker on different levels.

She has no way of entering the staircase without getting shot. There is a pained cry upstairs and Laura catches the sight of of red hair and a bright flash before one of the attackers falls over the railing. One of the attackers upstairs moves out of sight and Laura can hear shots and fighting. The distraction is enough for Chris Argent to take out the remaining attacker above them.

“Make them hide behind the walls, but don't shoot me!”, calls Laura as he jumps over the railing. Her feet hit the ground. She can feel the bullets flying past her. But the Argent are excellent shooters and so she propels herself forward through the door, blindly throwing her fists to both sides.

She is able to knock the guns from their hands by the time the couple and older Argents are through the door and running towards their car. She has to dodge kicks and punches from two attackers, but is able to knock one out. When she turns around, she sees the second one on the floor as well. Lydia is standing over him with a strange metal cylinder in her hand. They are staring at each other before Lydia runs.

The scene feels oddly familiar. Again she is running after 'Hollow'. No, Lydia. Lydia Martin. She now has a name. The redhead isn't running towards the parking lot as Laura would have expected, but is instead aiming towards the gardens. Their bodies are weaving between trees, jumping over bushes and ducking into small corners. Similar to what they did back at the warehouse compound. The red hair disappears behind a thick hedge. And mindlessly Laura follows the lead. The next thing she registers is an overwhelming smell of lilacs and a fist flying towards her head.

Laura ducks, grabs one of Lydia's ankles and pulls. She doesn't have enough time to evade Lydia's second foot that aims for her head and lands a solid kick to her temple. She jumps back only to see Lydia back on her feet and charging again. Laura dodges a kick and grabs Lydia from behind.

The smaller woman grabs Laura's neck and shoulder and pulls while dropping to her knees which sends Laura flying onto her back. Laura throws her fist over head. She feels her knuckles connecting with a bone and hears Lydia hiss, who is stumbling backwards as Laura rolls into a crouch and attacks. She winds her arms around the redhead's middle and lifts her up.

Lydia wiggles around a bit, but Laura's grip doesn't loosen up. She holds onto Laura's shoulders, leans back, swings her legs and is actually able to lend a solid kick behind Laura's kneecap. Laura goes down onto her knees, which allows Lydia to wiggle free. With a whispered 'Sorry' she hits Laura across the back of her head as hard as she can. It is not enough to knock her out, but stuns her for long enough than Lydia can flee.

As her head clears again, Laura returns to the house. She oversees the transport of the still unconscious attackers and talks shortly to a police officer. He reports that the couple is still in shock but otherwise fine. She is turning to leave as one of the security guys approaches her. He is holding a small, dark clutch.

“Agent Hale? This was found inside the festival hall. We believe one if the guest has lost it during the evacuation.” Laura thanks him and opens the handbag. As small purse. The name 'Lydia' stitched into a corner. And a matchbook from a local hotel. Without second thought Laura gets into her car and drives.

The moment Lydia walks out of the bathroom, Laura knows this is a set-up. She didn't track the redhead. She was led here by her.

The long red hair has been freed and is flowing over Lydia's shoulders. Laura's eyes move over her body, searching for weapons, but only find pale skin under a sheer layer of black chiffon. It is the whole get-up too, including suspenders and a scandalously tiny pair of panties. Laura can feel her cheeks heating up.

“Agent Hale. What a pleasant surprise. Or may I still call you Laura?” asks Lydia. Her tone too casual and her smile just a bit too confident. She sits down in one of the chairs and gestures to the other. But Laura remains standing.

“Laura is fine. Lydia.”answers Laura. She is angry, frustrated and really done with this day.

“Are you angry with me? I'm not your enemy, Laura.”

“That doesn't make you my friend.”, snaps Laura. She can feel her frustration with Lydia rising.

“We are on the same side.”, argues Lydia.

“Are we?”, scoffs Laura, who is still not moving from her position.

“I thought that was obvious. After all, we went after the same... distasteful people.” Lydia has given up and instead walks towards Laura now. 

“Maybe so.” Laura leans forward. “But I have been wondering: What is in it for you?”

“Can't a citizen simply help with the protection of their city?” Lydia's words enrage Laura further.

“Answer me. Or I will have to take you in.” demands Laura.

“You're going to arrest me? On what charges? And do you have any proof?” asks Lydia, knowing well that Laura had nothing. Laura takes a deep breath and growls in annoyance. Lydia just smiles.

“Thought so. Good night, Laura. See you soon.” Lydia leans up and gently kisses her, before pushing her into the corridor.

'I will get you.', Laura thinks as she marches out of the hotel.


End file.
